A Philadelphia City Council committee on Monday advanced legislation that would require a 10-cent fee on paper bags, though a member of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration said he had concerns about the bill.
The adjustment to the city’s plastic bag ban is not yet law. It would still need to pass a vote from the full City Council and then be signed into law by Parker.
The Committee on Licenses and Inspections met at City Hall on Monday, and Carlton Williams, director of the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, testified.
The bill would require businesses to charge 10 cents per paper bag used and post signs informing customers of the new fees.
“While plastic bags are often viewed as more damaging to the environment, we recognize the environmental impact of paper bags too, despite them being biodegradable and easier to recycle or compost,” Williams said.
He said the administration is “concerned with some of the unintended consequences this legislation could have on our local economy, primarily the mom-and-pop businesses, by requiring retail establishments to charge a checkout bag fee.”
The fee may also push shoppers to leave city limits to save money on the fee, Williams claimed.
Meanwhile, Faran Savitz of PennEnvironment testified in support of the bill. His organization promotes natural resource conservation, renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions
“The core of the problem that we’re addressing with this bill is that in Philadelphia, like in the rest of the country, we just use too much stuff. We have a waste crisis,” Savitz said.
Savitz cited a study from the University of Pittsburgh and Swarthmore College that found the city’s initial plastic bag ban had one of its intended effects of decreasing plastic bag usage, but that was offset by an increase in usage of paper bags – as opposed to customers making the switch to reusable bags.
“Paper bags, while easier to recycle than plastic, require four times the energy to produce and may involve the use of environmentally harmful chemicals and fertilizers,” the study noted.
Councilmember Mark Squilla, who sponsored the bill, said it was an effort to change behavior. In response to Williams’ concerns, he noted that food trucks and businesses serving prepared food would be exempted from the 10-cent charge.
“It’s the mindset that, ‘I’m not giving them 10 cents for a bag, I’m just going to bring my own bag,'” Squilla said.
The full text of the bill is available on the City Council legislation website.
Philadelphia passed a plastic bag ban in 2019 and implemented it in 2021 after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.